32 or 36 cal rifle ??

[user 52142]

Thinking of adding a 32 or 36 cal rifle for small game/varmint shooting. Looking for your wisdom of pro,s and con,s of each.

Also, what brand would you suggest will shoot well, but be easy on the wallet ( yep, wife keeps me on a budget)

I shoot leftie, but doesnt have to be a LH rifle.

I'm open to new, used or kit.

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

Thanks in advance
Bill

 

[rafterob]

I am new to small calibers having recently acquired a .32 CVA Squirrel rifle. It is fun to shoot and with a good load I'm sure would take out a coyote. So either one? May have more to do with availability than which caliber.

 

[flntlokr]

My leaning would be toward the .36 (or even a .40), simply because the tiny calibres are more affected by fouling.(which probably wouldn't affect you if it is for hunting, where you might only take a couple of shots in a day). I have a .36 and a .40, I use the .40 most because I like it better (and it's a flinter). Bigger ball makes a differnce if you shoot steel at rendezvous; less chance that a hit will be lost because the target didn't move enough). I have a .31 pistol that won't move many of the gongs, so I always try to have somebody glassing the targets that are out a ways. My .40 came as pieces from Pecatonica; I have never been disappointed in their stuff. (I don't call such assemblages of parts a 'kit' unless it comes with instructions and diagrams.)

 

[user 34300]

I have both. The 32 is more fiddley to load. Both are flint. The 32 does not give sufficient velocity with low charges, like 20 grains, the vent leakage is too much. My 36 is more accurate. Hornady buckshot works fine in the 36.

The 36 had wider grooves and narrower lands. The 32 is the opposite, the lands are wide and the grooves are narrow. It also has relatively deep square rifling. The grooves are about 0.012" deep. With a 310 ball the patch needs to be 0.022" before you touch the groove bottoms. Loading that combination deforms the ball. It also is hard to ram because of the wide lands. The twist, being 1:48" is too slow by my sensibilities. Accuracy has been predictably sub-par. The best accuracy is at about 40 grains 3F. That nullifies the reason I got it in the first place.

In 32, it may me that the Crocket or CVA has more suitable rifling, I don't know. Percussion may be a better choice?

My vote is for 36 for ease of loading. In either case the barrel must be properly rifled for best accuracy.

Sorry, I will not disclose the barrel maker in an open forum. Do your own research before buying.

 

[garypl]

I have a .32 percussion SMR and a .32 Kibler flintlock SMR that I just finished and I enjoy shooting them both. Anywhere from 20-30 grains of 3F works well and they have no recoil to speak of. Loading is easy, but I normally swab the bore every 5-6 shots just to keep fouling from building up. I don't shoot these farther than 50 yds - I sight them in at 25 yds and if I plan to shoot longer I switch to my .40. Lots of .32 round balls per pound of lead! You will enjoy either caliber.

 

[user 52142]

Thanks for sharing your wisdom and advice everyone. It will be for hunting mainly.

I am leaning towards the 36, but will have to see what's available in each.

Doing alot of reading on each to see what twist etc works best for RB.

Thanks again
Bill

 

[garypl]

Thanks for sharing your wisdom and advice everyone. It will be for hunting mainly.

I am leaning towards the 36, but will have to see what's available in each.

Doing alot of reading on each to see what twist etc works best for RB.

Thanks again
Bill

I have rifles with 1:48 twist and 1:66 twist and with the light loads I shoot I see no difference. Maybe if you are shooting heavy hunting loads the slower twist would be more accurate, but personally, I don't see a problem with either twist rate.

 

[user 52142]

I have rifles with 1:48 twist and 1:66 twist and with the light loads I shoot I see no difference. Maybe if you are shooting heavy hunting loads the slower twist would be more accurate, but personally, I don't see a problem with either twist rate.

Thanks garypl, from some of the articles etc I have been reading, they seem to point in the same direction

 

[hanshi]

Either one of these calibers can be loaded to take anything from squirrels to large coyotes. I have a .32 and a .36 and both shoot very well with 20 to 30 grains of 3F. I don't load them heavy but they take it in stride with both killing power and accuracy.
My two SMR flintlocks are joys to shoot and get more action than their larger brothers. Never have I had any fouling problem with either one and can shoot them all day without wiping the bores. I probably shoot the .36 more than the .32. Yes, the .36 is a bit less "fumble prone" but they load easily. Being so small the tiny lead balls seat easier than larger balls. They are just so flat-out fun! From a pound of lead you get somewhere in the neighborhood of 152 .32 balls and 105 .36 balls.

 

[user 52142]

Either one of these calibers can be loaded to take anything from squirrels to large coyotes. I have a .32 and a .36 and both shoot very well with 20 to 30 grains of 3F. I don't load them heavy but they take it in stride with both killing power and accuracy.
My two SMR flintlocks are joys to shoot and get more action than their larger brothers. Never have I had any fouling problem with either one and can shoot them all day without wiping the bores. I probably shoot the .36 more than the .32. Yes, the .36 is a bit less "fumble prone" but they load easily. Being so small the tiny lead balls seat easier than larger balls. They are just so flat-out fun! From a pound of lead you get somewhere in the neighborhood of 152 .32 balls and 105 .36 balls.

Thanks. That's some great information. Now starts the quest of finding a 32 or 36.

Think I will look for a good used first, if that doesnt work out, I will look at kits.

Thanks again
Bill

 

[user 52142]

Think I will post an ad for a good used 32 or 36 Percussion and see what's offered.

Thanks to everyone for their adavice.

Have a great weekend
Bill

 

[Greg B.]

I don’t have a 36 but love my Crocket 32. I’m still playing with load combos and tried a few new ones last evening that didn’t work well. I have 2 loads that are both accurate enough for squirrels to 25-30 yards but they’re both dry patch loads. I’d like to find a combo using a bit more lube to avoid the swab every shot routine but haven’t found it yet. Still trying.

I think you’d be good with either but I lean toward .32 myself. Easy to load, not much powder needed, less lead, etc. I’m looking at a Kibler SMR in 32 myself.

 

[user 34300]

Fumble factor...I gave up on precut patches for the 32. I now use strips and cut at the muzzle.

 

[user 52142]

Fumble factor...I gave up on precut patches for the 32. I now use strips and cut at the muzzle.

That's good information...thanks

 

[SDSmlf]

Thinking of adding a 32 or 36 cal rifle for small game/varmint shooting. Looking for your wisdom of pro,s and con,s of each.

Also, what brand would you suggest will shoot well, but be easy on the wallet ( yep, wife keeps me on a budget)

Loaded correctly with an accurate ball, patch and powder combination, either caliber is good to go on squirrels. I have had a number of 32 caliber guns, and I am currently using a flintlock Pedersoli Scout in 32 caliber that works great with the light charges I typically use. With 12 to 15 grains of Swiss fff and a patched 1-1/2 buckshot it is deadly on squirrels and targets out to the 30 or so yards that I shoot it. Not quite an inch high at 25 yards, about inch low at 50. Squirrels aren’t that big, tough or aggressive around here so I stick with lighter charges. Have also dropped a number of coyotes with the same load from the backdoor. They typically don’t drop where shot, but haven’t gone any farther than 20 to 25 feet. About the same as with 22RF hi velocity hollow point loads. Shot placement as always is important. The largest of backyard coyotes are maybe 35-40 pounds, but there seems to be an endless supply of them to pick and choose from if you want to be fussy.
https://www.carolinasportsman.com/hunting/coyote/220-coyotes-killed-at-2020-carolina-coyote-classic/

 

[frankie]

Thinking of adding a 32 or 36 cal rifle for small game/varmint shooting. Looking for your wisdom of pro,s and con,s of each.

Also, what brand would you suggest will shoot well, but be easy on the wallet ( yep, wife keeps me on a budget)

I shoot leftie, but doesnt have to be a LH rifle.

I'm open to new, used or kit.

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

Thanks in advance
Bill

Depends on the amount of cash you want to spend. Traditions is great I hear. I have never owned one. Pedersoli is really great, I have several of those. Out of the 2 I would pick the 36 caliber.

 

[Dave Fox]

Have long owned an original Indiana/Ohio style percussion half-stock, nominally .32 caliber. Shoot buckshot obtained in a bag decades ago. Though the shot is hardened, it's reasonably accurate and altogether fun to shoot. Great walk in the woods companion. A tad more difficult to clean than a larger bore, though.

 

[Des52]

I have two .36s a Traditions half stock and a Pedersoli Blue Ridge and love them both. They are easy on powder and shot and more fun than pounding my shoulder with the big bores.

 

[dwarvenchef]

I have an International Arms ”Kentuckian” in .36 and find it pleasant to shoot. I’m keeping an eye out for a .32 or .36 in flint from an area in Pennsylvania where an ancestor was a gunsmith in 1860, just for fun and giggles. Though there a few models of T/C’s I would jump on as well in a heartbeat

 

[Billy Boy]

Thinking of adding a 32 or 36 cal rifle for small game/varmint shooting. Looking for your wisdom of pro,s and con,s of each.

Also, what brand would you suggest will shoot well, but be easy on the wallet ( yep, wife keeps me on a budget)

I shoot leftie, but doesnt have to be a LH rifle.

I'm open to new, used or kit.

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

Thanks in advance
Bill

I have a CVA 32 and a custom 36, both percussion. Neither is or has a fouling problem. I wish the 32 had a slower twist than the 1-48 it has so I could load it down and have accuracy. Even with 20 grains it is a little rough on the groceries with a body hit.